Providence
Corner of Benefit Street in Providence, photo by Jon Robson
Providence is New England’s second largest city and the southern anchor of the Blackstone Valley. The merchants of Providence provided much of the funding to build the textile mills of the Blackstone Valley, and the ships to transport the finished cloth around the world.
With the advent of steam power, Providence became a manufacturing center itself, especially in the machine and tool trades and in the jewelry industry. Providence is also the state capital and education and cultural center of Rhode Island.
Self-guided tour of Providence, RI: Walking Tour Brochure of Churches on College Hill (PDF)
Benefit Street
The very heart of historic Providence is the “Mile of History” along Benefit Street. Lined with a magnificent collection of 18th- and 19th-century homes built with the wealth earned by the city’s merchant traders, Benefit Street is a highlight of the city. Sites include the Providence Athenaeum, the 1786 John Brown House and the Old State House.
Read more about Benefit Street: www.city-data.com
First Baptist Church in America
Fantastic 1775 Church houses the First Baptist Congregation in America, which was established by Roger Williams in 1638.
Read more about First Baptist Church in America: www.fbcia.org
India Point Park
This shoreline park is built over site of former Indiamen docks, where ships left Providence to trade the produce of the Blackstone Valley to China, India and the rest of the world. See the mouth of Blackstone River as it empties into the Providence River and on into Narragansett Bay.
Read more about India Point Park:
John Brown House
This is described by John Adams as “the most magnificent and elegant mansion I have ever seen on this continent.” John Brown made his fortune as a merchant trader, and later proposed the building of the Blackstone Canal. Built in 1786, this palatial mansion has been meticulously restored as a house museum featuring some of the finest examples of Rhode Island furniture and decorative arts.
Read more about John Brown House: www.rihs.org
Rhode Island School of Design Museum
An institution of art and design with a worldwide reputation. Their collection includes 80,000 works, dating from ancient Greece and China through the modern day. The Pendleton House highlights American furniture and decorative arts of the 18th and 19th century.
Read more about Rhode Island School of Design Museum: www.risd.edu/museum.cfm
Roger Williams National Memorial
Roger Williams National Memorial commemorates the life of the founder of Rhode Island and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom. Williams, banished from Massachusetts for his beliefs, founded Providence in 1636. This colony served as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience dictated without interference from the state. This site also serves as a visitors center.
Read more about Roger Williams National Memorial: www.nps.gov/rowi
State House
The seat of government for the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations contains several treasures, including the original Royal Charter of 1663. The fourth largest self-supported dome in the world caps this striking white marble building.
Read more about the State House: www.sec.state.ri.us